Nonlinear effects of large-scale climatic variability on wild and domestic herbivores

Large-scale climatic fluctuations, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have been shown to affect many ecological processes. Such effects have been typically assumed to be linear. Only one study has reported a nonlinear relation; however, that nonlinear relation was monotonic (that is, no reversal). Here we show that there is a strong nonlinear and non-monotonic (that is, reversed) effect of the NAO on body weight during the subsequent autumn for 23,838 individual wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) and 139,485 individual domestic sheep (Ovis aries) sampled over several decades on the west coast of Norway. These relationships are, at least in part, explained by comparable nonlinear and non-monotonic relations between the NAO and local climatic variables (temperature, precipitation and snow depth). The similar patterns observed for red deer and sheep, the latter of which live indoors during winter and so experience a stable energy supply in winter, suggest that the (winter) climatic variability (for which the index is a proxy) must influence the summer foraging conditions directly or indirectly.     

Mangroves enhance the biomass of coral reef fish communities in the Caribbean

Mangrove forests are one of the world's most threatened tropical ecosystems with global loss exceeding 35% (ref. 1). Juvenile coral reef fish often inhabit mangroves, but the importance of these nurseries to reef fish population dynamics has not been quantified. Indeed, mangroves might be expected to have negligible influence on reef fish communities: juvenile fish can inhabit alternative habitats and fish populations may be regulated by other limiting factors such as larval supply or fishing. Here we show that mangroves are unexpectedly important, serving as an intermediate nursery habitat that may increase the survivorship of young fish. Mangroves in the Caribbean strongly influence the community structure of fish on neighbouring coral reefs. In addition, the biomass of several commercially important species is more than doubled when adult habitat is connected to mangroves. The largest herbivorous fish in the Atlantic, Scarus guacamaia, has a functional dependency on mangroves and has suffered local extinction after mangrove removal. Current rates of mangrove deforestation are likely to have severe deleterious consequences for the ecosystem function, fisheries productivity and resilience of reefs. Conservation efforts should protect connected corridors of mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs.     

长江铜陵段老洲水域鱼类资源的初步调查研究

对长江铜陵段老洲水域中的鱼类资源进行了初步调查和研究,结果表明:目前该水域中鱼类共计36种,隶属于8目15科和30属;这些鱼类可分为淡水、洄游和河口3个生态类群,其中以淡水类群为优势类群.自上世纪中后期以来,长江铜陵段老洲水域中的鱼类组成及资源发生都发生了明显的变动,主要特点为鱼类的目数和种数减少、珍稀鱼类的濒危甚至灭绝、渔获物的低龄化和小型化.本文从不科学捕捞、环境污染、栖息地丧失和生物入侵四个方面总结了造成该水域中鱼类组成及资源变动的主要原因,并为长江渔业资源的可持续开发和利用提供了建议性措施.     

New 'phantom' dinoflagellate is the causative agent of major estuarine fish kills.

A worldwide increase in toxic phytoplankton blooms over the past 20 years has coincided with increasing reports of fish diseases and deaths of unknown cause. Among estuaries that have been repeatedly associated with unexplained fish kills on the western Atlantic Coast are the Pamlico and Neuse Estuaries of the southeastern United States. Here we describe a new toxic dinoflagellate with 'phantom-like' behaviour that has been identified as the causative agent of a significant portion of the fish kills in these estuaries, and which may also be active in other geographic regions. The alga requires live finfish or their fresh excreta for excystment and release of a potent toxin. Low cell densities cause neurotoxic signs and fish death, followed by rapid algal encystment and dormancy unless live fish are added. This dinoflagellate was abundant in the water during major fish kills in local estuaries, but only while fish were dying; within several hours of death where carcasses were still present, the flagellated vegetative algal population had encysted and settled back to the sediments. Isolates from each event were highly lethal to finfish and shellfish in laboratory bioassays. Given its broad temperature and salinity tolerance, and its stimulation by phosphate enrichment, this toxic phytoplankter may be a widespread but undetected source of fish mortality in nutrient-enriched estuaries.     

大襟岛海域中华白海豚栖息地重金属含量测定与评价

分别对中华白海豚栖息地的海水、表层沉积物和生物(鱼类、甲壳类和软体类动物)体中的重金属含量进行测定与污染评价.结果表明,海洋生物对海水和沉积物中重金属有较强的富集能力,中华白海豚其肝脏中高浓度的重金属含量是通过食物链(网)而逐级积累的.栖息地中海水质量介于海水I类与II类水质之间,表层沉积物质量符合I类标准,3类不同类...     

海洋污染对中华白海豚栖息地选择的影响研究

为了探索污染对海洋生物栖息地的影响,以2006—2007年中华白海豚在广西钦州三娘湾及其邻近海域的出现数据为基础,结合Google海洋地形数据、卫星遥感数据和2012年度海洋环境调查数据,构建干、湿季节海豚分布预测的最大熵模型,发现与主要河口的距离是决定海豚栖息地分布的最主要因素。比较基于不同环境变量的模型预测结果,发现海豚分布范围还受到水体营养盐和持久性污染物质的限制性影响,在干旱季节和湿润季节都出现预测栖息地面积缩小的现象。根据模型预测和比较结果,得到中华白海豚的栖息地选择策略:选择河口海域生活以获得丰富的鱼类食物,同时趋向于回避高污染风险的区域。研究结论对海洋保护区的选址及管理策略具有参考意义。     

海洋微藻分类生态及生物活性物质研究

海洋微藻是海洋中的主要初级生产者,它们的盛衰直接或间接地影响着整个海洋生态系的生产力,因此,与渔业资源、水产养殖、环保、地质等密切相关;海洋微藻的分类和生态研究是海洋生态系统结构和功能研究的基础。另一方面,近年来,随着陆地资源的衰竭和环境问题的日益突出,海洋微藻资源成了人们关注的热点,尤其是利用现代生物技术开发利用微藻资源及微藻与环境的关系问题等方面研究得到了科学家和各国政府的高度重视。我国海洋微灌资源丰富,过去对海洋微藻的分类学和生态学研究已取得一定成果,这些成果的应用和开拓新的研究课题是目前海洋微藻研究的2个重要方向。厦门大学在海洋硅藻研究方面的成果一直处于国内领先水平。近年来,在分类生态基础上,不断开展新的研究,在海洋微藻分类学和生态学、微型硅藻和微型浮植物生态、海洋微藻生物活性物质、微藻生物分子标记物、微藻胞外产物、及有害赤潮微藻的分离培养和生物学特性等方面研究取得了较好的进展。     

Environmental determinants of extinction selectivity in the fossil record

The causes of mass extinctions and the nature of biological selectivity during extinction events remain central questions in palaeobiology. Although many different environmental perturbations have been invoked as extinction mechanisms, it has long been recognized that fluctuations in sea level coincide with many episodes of biotic turnover. Recent work supports the hypothesis that changes in the areas of epicontinental seas have influenced the macroevolution of marine animals, but the extent to which differential environmental turnover has contributed to extinction selectivity remains unknown. Here I use a new compilation of the temporal durations of sedimentary rock packages to show that carbonate and terrigenous clastic marine shelf environments have different spatio-temporal dynamics and that these dynamics predict patterns of genus-level extinction, extinction selectivity and diversity among Sepkoski's Palaeozoic and modern evolutionary faunae. These results do not preclude a role for biological interactions or unusual physical events as drivers of macroevolution, but they do suggest that the turnover of marine shelf habitats and correlated environmental changes have been consistent determinants of extinction, extinction selectivity and the shifting composition of the marine biota during the Phanerozoic eon.     

三维理想河口盐水入侵对径潮驱动变化的响应

为探究在人类活动与气候条件改变的影响下,径潮动力以及水深的改变对河口区域盐水入侵的影响,建立了三维理想河口盐水入侵数值模型,分析了纵向环流及盐度的垂向与横向沿程分布,研究了垂向与横向剪切作用以及潮泵效应引起的纵向盐输运对盐水入侵的影响以及盐分输运过程对径潮动力与水深变化的响应。结果表明:盐水上溯程度对流量与潮振幅的变化有明显响应,流量增大与潮振幅增大对盐水入侵均有抑制作用;在较浅的河口,潮驱动增大在河口上下游引起相反的潮平均盐度变化趋势,这与横向、纵向剪切与潮泵效应分别引起的纵向盐输运对径潮水深条件的响应相关。     

MS-222对赤眼鳟幼鱼麻醉效果的研究

摘要:在水温260.5℃条件下,测定了MS-222对赤眼鳟（Squaliobarbus curriculus）幼鱼的麻醉效果。根据鱼体在麻醉和复苏过程中的行为特征,将其麻醉过程分为6期,复苏过程分为4期。实验结果表明,赤眼鳟幼鱼的入麻时间随MS-222质量浓度的升高而减少,复苏时间随MS-222质量浓度的升高而增加。在本实验条件下,测得的MS-222有效质量浓度为120～180mg/L。在此范围内,实验鱼能在3min内进入4期麻醉状态,5min内复苏,且在麻醉液中连续浸浴15min的成活率为100%。麻醉过程中,赤眼鳟幼鱼的呼吸频率在浅麻醉状态时略微上升,深麻醉状态时快速下降,直至麻醉过度而停止呼吸。进入深度麻醉的幼鱼,当空气暴露时间在9min内时,复苏时间随空气暴露时间的增加而减少,且能全部复苏。当暴露时间在9～15min时,复苏时间随暴露时间的增加而增加,复苏率逐渐下降,暴露18min时实验鱼全部死亡。结果表明,MS-222对赤眼鳟幼鱼有着入麻及复苏时间短、安全边界宽等优点,是较理想的麻醉剂。     

Explaining the excess of rare species in natural species abundance distributions

The observation that a few species in ecological communities are exceptionally abundant, whereas most are rare, prompted the development of species abundance models. Nevertheless, despite the large literature on the commonness and rarity of species inspired by these pioneering studies, some widespread empirical patterns of species abundance resist easy explanation. Notable among these is the observation that in large assemblages there are more rare species than the log normal model predicts. Here we use a long-term (21-year) data set, from an estuarine fish community, to show how an ecological community can be separated into two components. Core species, which are persistent, abundant and biologically associated with estuarine habitats, are log normally distributed. Occasional species occur infrequently in the record, are typically low in abundance and have different habitat requirements; they follow a log series distribution. These distributions are overlaid, producing the negative skew that characterizes real data sets.     

New data on isotopic composition of Jurassic-Early Cretaceous cephalopods

The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous climatic conditions using new isotopic data. Paleobotanical data indicate that a cooling occurred gradually just after Late Triassic, and a temperature minimum was reached in the Pliensbachian. This was followed by a climatic optimum in the early Toarcian, cooling in the late Toarcian and a second climatic optimum in the Oxfordian. Published isotopic thermometry data and our new results on isotopic composition of some Jurassic invertebrate shells from the Russian Platform, Poland, Germany and England generally confirm this pattern, and also indicate a third climatic optimum in the Middle Callovian. Middle-Late Mesozoic adult belemnites apparently lived during their spawning phase, in shallow waters similar to extant Nautilus. However, at least juvenile belemnoids, unlike ammonoids, engaged in significant short-term vertical migrations in the water column, reaching colder waters of the upper bathyal zone.     

投喂不同精制饲料的草鱼稚鱼生长效果的比较

研制适用于特定鱼种类的精制饲料是鱼类营养研究中主要的基本前提之一。本试验通过几种饲料的对比饲喂，由草鱼稚鱼生长效果的比较分析证实，饲料１＃较适合于用作进行草鱼稚鱼营养学研究的精制饲料。该饲料具有良好的增重效果及饲料系数，蛋白质效率及蛋白质转换率较高，从而加强了机体的能量及蛋白质积累。实验结果还表明，草鱼稚鱼的生长效果和其饲料含脂量及脂肪源有密切关系，为此有必要对其利用饲料脂肪的能力作深入探讨。     

江苏南部沿海越冬水鸟群落结构及多样性分析

[目的]江苏南部沿海不仅是鸟类迁徙路线上鸻鹬类重要的停歇地,还是众多雁鸭类等水鸟重要的越冬地.对江苏南部沿海越冬鸟类的种群动态及其生境利用状况进行调查,为越冬鸟类及其越冬地的生境管理提供参考.[方法]采用样点法结合样线法对江苏南部包括东台条子泥、如东小洋口、通州湾、吕四港、启东黄金海滩的沿海滩涂、河口、围湖、高潮栖息地...     

Paleodietary changes by penguins and seals in association with Antarctic climate and sea ice extent

Positioned near the top of the food web, the dietary composition of Antarctic penguins and seals can be an excellent indicator of the regional food web and thus the status of the marine ecosystem. The dietary composition of modern penguins and seals has been well investigated; a long-term time series of data on penguin and seal diets, however, are rare. Such data, especially any predating the initiation of human harvesting of fish, whales and seals in Antarctica, are crucial for understanding and predicting responses of regional marine food webs to natural climate changes. Here we review recent progress on research of paleodietary change in Antarctic penguins and seals, specifically the Adelie penguin （Pygoscelis adeliae） and Antarctic fur seal （Arctocephalus gazella）. These studies indicate that the dietary changes of penguins correspond quite well with fluctuations in climate and sea ice extent during the Holocene. The depleted δ15N ratios found in modern Adelie penguins support the ＂krill surplus hypothesis＂ in relation to historic human depletion of krilleating fish, seals and whales.     

New data on isotopic composition of Jurassic-Early Cretaceous cephalopods

The aim of this paper is to reconstruct the Jurassic-Early Cretaceous climatic conditions using new isotopic data. Paleobotanical data indicate that a cooling occurred gradually just after Late Triassic, and a temperature minimum was reached in the Pliensbachian. This was followed by a climatic optimum in the early Toarcian, cooling in the late Toarcian and a second climatic optimum in the Oxfordian. Published isotopic thermometry data and our new results on isotopic composition of some Jurassic invertebrate shells from the Russian Platform, Poland, Germany and England generally confirm this pattern, and also indicate a third climatic optimum in the Middle Callovian. Middle-Late Mesozoic adult belemnites apparently lived during their spawning phase, in shallow waters similar to extant Nautilus. However, at least juvenile belemnoids, unlike ammonoids, engaged in significant short-term vertical migrations in the water column, reaching colder waters of the upper bathyal zone.     

Fisheries productivity in the northeastern Pacific Ocean over the past 2,200 years

Historical catch records suggest that climatic variability has had basin-wide effects on the northern Pacific and its fish populations, such as salmon, sardines and anchovies. However, these records are too short to define the nature and frequency of patterns. We reconstructed approximately 2,200-year records of sockeye salmon abundance from sediment cores obtained from salmon nursery lakes on Kodiak island, Alaska. Large shifts in abundance, which far exceed the decadal-scale variability recorded during the past 300 years, occurred over the past two millennia. A marked, multi-centennial decline in Alaskan sockeye salmon was apparent from approximately 100 BC to AD 800, but salmon were consistently more abundant from AD 1200 to 1900. Over the past two millennia, the abundances of Pacific sardine and Northern anchovy off the California coast, and of Alaskan salmon, show several synchronous patterns of variability. But sardines and anchovies vary out of phase with Alaskan salmon over low frequency, which differs from the pattern detected in historical records. The coherent patterns observed across large regions demonstrate the strong role of climatic forcing in regulating northeastern Pacific fish stocks.     

Fishing elevates variability in the abundance of exploited species

The separation of the effects of environmental variability from the impacts of fishing has been elusive, but is essential for sound fisheries management. We distinguish environmental effects from fishing effects by comparing the temporal variability of exploited versus unexploited fish stocks living in the same environments. Using the unique suite of 50-year-long larval fish surveys from the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations we analyse fishing as a treatment effect in a long-term ecological experiment. Here we present evidence from the marine environment that exploited species exhibit higher temporal variability in abundance than unexploited species. This remains true after accounting for life-history effects, abundance, ecological traits and phylogeny. The increased variability of exploited populations is probably caused by fishery-induced truncation of the age structure, which reduces the capacity of populations to buffer environmental events. Therefore, to avoid collapse, fisheries must be managed not only to sustain the total viable biomass but also to prevent the significant truncation of age structure. The double jeopardy of fishing to potentially deplete stock sizes and, more immediately, to amplify the peaks and valleys of population variability, calls for a precautionary management approach.     

大瑶山国家级自然保护区鱼类群落研究

2008年7月-2009年9月对大瑶山自然保护区进行鱼类调查,结果发现大瑶山有鱼类37种,隶属4目13科31属,鲤科鱼类是最大类群,优势种为瑶山鲤(Yaoshanicus arcus)、横纹南鳅(Schistura fasciolata)和溪吻鰕虎鱼(Rhinogobius duospilus).主要为山区溪流性小型鱼类,以杂食性和底栖鱼类为主,底栖鱼类占总数的64.86%.杂食性占43.24%,植物食性占16.21%,动物食性占21.62%,碎屑食性占18.92%.生境丧失和过度捕捞是造成鱼类多样性下降主要原因,提出了保护鱼类资源的建议.     

10Be evidence for the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal in the EPICA Dome C ice core

An ice core drilled at Dome C, Antarctica, is the oldest ice core so far retrieved. On the basis of ice flow modelling and a comparison between the deuterium signal in the ice with climate records from marine sediment cores, the ice at a depth of 3,190 m in the Dome C core is believed to have been deposited around 800,000 years ago, offering a rare opportunity to study climatic and environmental conditions over this time period. However, an independent determination of this age is important because the deuterium profile below a depth of 3,190 m depth does not show the expected correlation with the marine record. Here we present evidence for enhanced 10Be deposition in the ice at 3,160-3,170 m, which we interpret as a result of the low dipole field strength during the Matuyama-Brunhes geomagnetic reversal, which occurred about 780,000 years ago. If correct, this provides a crucial tie point between ice cores, marine cores and a radiometric timescale.